Eyeliner,applicator and casing

ABSTRACT

A COSMETIC FOR USE AS AN EYELID LINER. A LOW VISCOSITY COLORING LIQUID, FREE OF PITMENTS, SOLVENTS, OILS, WAXES, GUMS OR THICKENING AGENTS, IS HELD WITHIN PARALELLY FIBERS SUCH AS CELLULOSE ACETATE OR ACRYLIC FIBERS, ETC. A FELT OR NYLON TIP PRESSED BETWEEN THE FIBERS DOLES OUT THE COLORED LIQUID AS REQUIRED DURING APPLICATION ON THE EYELID. A CASING ENCLOSES THE IMPREGNATED FIBERS, AT THE SAME TIME ALLOWING HANDLINGOF THE DEVICE. THE COLORING LIQUID CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A CONCENTRATED SOLUTION OF UREA IN WATER, WITH THE ADDITION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE DYE SUBSTANCE, MANUFACTURED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE FOOD, DRUG AND COSMETIC ACT.

Sept. 20, 1971 J. R. EHRLICH 3,505,754

EYELINER, APPLICATQR AND CASING Filed June 6. 1969 INVENTOR. Jdft'P/l If? [MW/(fl Jammy mvo Jammy 4rronvrrr United States Patent Cfice 3,605,764 EYELINER, APPLICATOR AND CASING Joseph R. Ehrlich, New York, N.Y., assignor to Melvin J. Davidson and Bernard M. Zitomer, both of New York, N.Y.

Filed June 6, 1969, Ser. No. 831,069 Int. Cl. A45d 40/26 US. Cl. 13288.7 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cosmetic for use as an eyelid liner. A low viscosity coloring liquid, free of pigments, solvents, oils, waxes, gums or thickening agents, is held within parallely oriented fibers such as cellulose acetate or acrylic fibers, etc. A felt or nylon tip pressed between the fibers doles out the colored liquid as required during application on the eyelid. A casing encloses the impregnated fibers, at the same time allowing handling of the device. The coloring liquid consists essentially of a concentrated solution of urea in water, with the addition of a water-soluble dye substance, manufactured in compliance with the Food, Drug and- Cosmetic Act.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Eye cosmetics, as known in the art, may be applied in the form of mascara to eyelashes, and eye shadow to the eyelids. Eyeliners or eyelid liners may also *be applied to the eyelids and eyebrow pencils may be used to color the eyebrows. Eye creams and eye lotions are also in use. The field of eye cosmetics also includes the preparation for removing the precedingly aforementioned cosmetics. The present invention is directed particularly to eyeliners or eyelid liners but may be used, with modification, for eyebrows and eyelid shadows.

Eyeliners are intended for application to the eyelids in close proximity to the lashes. These eyeliners have heretofore been available in stick form, similar to stick eye shadow and eyebrow pencils, or in liquid form packaged with a small semistifl applicator brush. A common characteristic of liquid eyelid liners resides in their quick drying.

, Liquid eyelid liners, as known in the art, consist basically of a vehicle in which a solid colorant is dispersed. The colorant is substantially a finely ground and milled pigment or pigment blend. One of the requirements of an eyelid liner is that it dries on the skin, after application, within a short period of time as, for example, between 45 seconds to 2 /2-3, minutes, depending on the thickness of the layers. In view of this quick drying characteristic of eyelid liners, the solid contents of the eyeliners or creamy liquid eyeliners must be high. Drying of the liner results from the evaporation of Water used as the solvent. Water is the only permissible solvent which may be used. The vehicle may, therefore, be in the form of a water emulsion of various waxes and/or oils, and with other additives such as preservatives, plasticizers and stabilizers, for example. It is possible that the vehicle may also contain water-soluble gums or similar products which would serve as thickeners for the purpose of retaining the insoluble pigments more or less in suspension. These products have the inherent characteristic of caking after drying, forming a coherent film.

Eyelid liners are also known in cake form constituted of compressed powder. These eyelid liners are applied through the use of a moist brush which transfers the desired shade to the eyelid. Since the eyeliner is to be applied in the form of a thin line, considerable care must be exercised when using such a cosmetic constituted of a cake of 3,605,764 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 compressed powder. This results from the condition that when the eyeliner is made liquid, it is in the form of a viscous liquid. Considerable difficulties may be encountered =when attempting to apply a thin line of the cosmetic through the use of such a viscous liquid in combination with a brush.

The application of cosmetics to the eye is a particularly delicate. process, in view of the sensitivity of the eye to foreign materials. Consequently all preparations and applicators used in conjunction with eye cosmetics must 'be designed to take into account the sensitivity of the eye.

The application of a fine line on the eyelid, just above the eyelashes, is a particularly delicate process or operation. A fine hair brush is generally used as the applicator in conjunction with the conventional eyelid liners. Through the use of the hair brush, the coloring matter is left as a thin line at the edge of the eyelid, immediately above the lashes. Since the line is to be sharp and is not to run or spread, from the viewpoint of appearance, the colorants must have a consistency which permits the drawing of sharp lines. Such a fine line, however, is not readily produced when using a brush as an applicator, for example. Thus, a fine line is more difiicult to draw with a brush than with a pencil or a pen. As a result, considerable skill and time is required to draw a sharp line with a brush.

Pens or pencils are not readily adapted for the purpose of applying a fine line at the edge of the eyelid. Pens and pencils require that a predetermined amount of force be exerted when drawing a line. Since the eyelid is an especially delicate part directly in contact with the eyeball, such force or pressure applied by hand to the pen or pencil cannot be tolerated. Accordingly, brushes have proven themselves to be the safest and most desirable applicators for this type of cosmetic.

Colorants are generally available in the form of pigment dispersions in which the finely powdered pigments are dispersed in fat, oil or wax/ oil emulsions with water. When the water of such emulsions evaporates, the pigments are left or deposited on the skin either in a fatty form, or in a caked form. Instead of such water emulsions, water solutions of gums, film-forming agents, or other thickening agents may also be used as a vehicle for the color pigments. These eyeliner inks have, however, a disadvantage in that they either form. dry films which apply tension to the skin, or they leave a discontinuous film in powdered or cake form. All of the preceding vehicles have the common characteristic of leaving an unpleasant feeling on the skin.

Volatile solvents cannot be used in conjunction with the eye, and therefore all thickeners or film-forming materials must be soluble in water. Colored inks constituted of materials such as glycerine, propyleneglycol and similar such solvents, will not dry. Although non-toxic dyestuffs or dye substances may be used, theoretically, in such solutions, it has been found that such coloring inks have spreading or feathering characteristics through which a finely or sharply defined line cannot be realized.

It is also a prerequisite or requirement of a satisfactory eyeliner, that it not be readily removable with water. At the same time, it must be possible to remove the eyeliner easily when desired. The conventional eyeliners used here tofore have been generally removed with oil or cosmetic creams by using cotton or similar such substance as an applicator.

Accordingly, it is a desideratum of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages and to produce an eyeliner without requiring the application of pressure and also to combine the same with an applicator device suitable for the purpose. Such an applicator heretofore could not be used for such purpose of the lack of a suitable ink.

It has been known to apply liquid cosmetics with various types of applicators. It has also been known to use liquid cosmetics containing soluble dyestutts, but none of the prior art disclosures, singly or combined, would make it obvious to arrive at the surprising and novel result of the improved eyeliner disclosed herein. The following United States patents are considered representative of the prior art.

Pat. 67,182 describes a rouge pad. A cotton fabric with two-sided pile, saturated with a mixture of liquid extracts of blood-beet, strawberry and hollyhock foot and car-mine solution, is dried, cut and applied as a rouge pad, dampening the skin and rubbing the pad against it. Other rouge applicators have been described, for example Pat. 911,- 270, describes a fiat cloth saturated with liquid coloring. Applicators have also been used for other purposes, such as a dyeing swab for dyeing hair as described in Pat. 2,000,456. Details of the description of this patent imply that the coloring matter which is called a dye is really not a soluble dye but a pigment dispersion.

Marking pens as such are well-known in the art, such as described in Pats. 3,080,600"; 3,133,307; and 3,167,- 803, but these pens are not applicable to the present invention, nor do they embody the inventive concept disclosed herein.

A liquid lip coloring is menioned in Pat. 2,207,959 which describes an applicator, consisting of a container which holds the liquid. The liquid is transferred by a nozzle to an absorbing material which is kind of stretched over the applicator head. Any pigment dis persion can be used according to that patents specifica- D.

Pat. 2,299,296 discloses a hair operators instrument which is being used for hair dyeing and hair setting. A cylindrical hollow container holds liquid from which the liquid flows through side openings into a tubular neck to and through an applicator. The applicator could be a dental roll, the side or wall of which must not be glazed. In other words, the liquid is not supposed to go through the roll in longitudinal direction but perpendicular to it, all along the side wall of the cylinder or roll. This roll is not a reservoir for the liquid but serves the spreading out of liquid from a hollow container. The idea of the applicator is to spread the liquid over as wide an area as possible.

Pat. 3,223,096 discloses an applicator for cosmetics which may be in liquid, cream or cake form, such as make up rouge and eyeshadowing material. Removable, disposable applicator pads are used. There is no mention that those pads contain any liquid or are impregnated. Presumably the pads must be brought in contact from the outside with whatever the applicator should apply.

Pat. 1,586,044 does disclose a capillary pad in a metal container. It is a felt pad for liquid rouge and does rely on capillary action. Though this applicator uses capillary action it is difierent from a marker pen and, of course, is neither intended nor usable as an eyeliner of the nature of the invention.

Pat. 2,140,009 discloses a cosmetic applicator which approaches the principle of marking pens inasmuch as its action is based on capillary action. This applicator is suggested for applying cosmetic liquids of a general nature. However, it does not embody the combination of elements and materials used in the invention disclosed herein.

Pat. 3,146,170 describes an antiperspirant preparation which contains among others 5% urea, without stating for what purpose the urea is present. The preparation is a soft white paste, spreadable over the skin, drying in the form of a white, adherent, non-greasy layer which can be easily removed by wiping. In addition to the 5% urea the paste contains stearic acid 16%, cellulose crystallite aggregates 5%, sodium lauryl sulfite 1.5%, propylene glycol 5%, water 49%, ammonium sulfate 18%. This particular patent is based on the use of water-insoluble derivatives of cellulose crystallite aggregates, which can be used for various cosmetics such as cleansing creams, hand lotion, shaving cream, antiperspirant (which is the only example containing urea and propylene glycol without pointing out the purpose of any of the individual components), calarnine cream-type sunshine preparation, powdered dentifice, etc.

Pat. 3,231,472 discloses a method for increasing the water absorbing ability of human skin and the composition thereof. The increased water absorption by the skin, according to this patent, is advanced by the use of a special condensation product, involving amino acids and many more. The product is supported to match more or less the moisturizing material which is contained in the water soluble extract of the stratum corneum of the human skin. Among some 30 materials stated to have been found in said extracts, urea has been also mentioned. This patent shows the use of urea together with aspartic acid to be a contributor to a moisturizing composition. The condensation product is the basis for the said patent. In the general formula stated in col. 4 of this patent, the condensation product as well as the urea or the aspartic acid can, of course, be present in any amount from 0.1% upwards. A formula of such nature cant possibly be considered a disclosure giving the inspiration for producing an eyeliner containing an ink which dries quickly on the skin and does not wash off easily with water. The use of urea is mentioned as a moisturizing component, whereas the urea in the eyeliner ink according to the invention causes the quick drying, prevents the running and helps make a fine line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An eyeliner in which a felt tip or nylon tip is used to draw lines of varying thickness and fineness. A low viscosity coloring liquid is absorbed within parallelly oriented cellulose acetate, acrylic fibers, or the like thus avoiding the problem of dripping. The marking felt or nylon tip is squeezed between the fibers for close contact and are enclosed within a casing that may be held in the hand of the user. The absorbent fibers serve as an ink reservoir for the coloring liquid which consists essentially of a concentrated solution of urea in water, with the addition of a water soluble dyestutf. A solution of urea and water is also used for the purpose of removing the eyeliner, when desired.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an eyeliner through which a fine line may be drawn of the desired shade and color, without the application of pressures which may irritate the eye.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide such an eyeliner in combination with a device by which little skill is required in applying the eyeliner.

It is a specific object of the present invention that the applied line he a sharp well-defined line.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a substance by which the eyeliner may be readily removed, while the eyeliner is, at the same time, not easily removed through water.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide an eyeliner of the aforementioned character, which is safe and not irritable to the skin around the eye, and which has quick drying characteristics.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and illustrates merely by way of example embodiments of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the eyelid liner in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the applicator tip of the eyelid liner in FIG. 1, and shows three different possible geometric embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawing, the low viscosity coloring liquid for application to the eyelid, is retained in elongated fibers made of cellulose acetate, in the form of acrylic fibers, or the like. The fibers are bunched together and held closely within a casing 12. The latter may be made of drawn metal or extruded plastic. The casing is sealed at one end 120, and is provided with a flange portion 12b at the other end. This flange portion 12b may be beveled and may be constructed integral with the remaining portion of the casing 12.

A cap 14 has an internal portion 14a recessed to fit over the flange 12b in a suitable manner. Thus, to seal the eyeliner when not in use, the cap 14 is pressed over the flange 12b, so that the recessed portion 14a fits snugly about the flange portion 12b. The cap 14 may be made of plastic material or metal, through a drawing or extrusion process, similar to that described for the casing 12. When using the eyeliner, the cap 14 may be simply snapped off the flange 12b, and then snapped back on, after use, so that the eyeliner may be conveniently held within a purse or pocketbook, for example, without fear of leakage.

An applicator in the form of the tip 16 is tightly held between the fibers 10 within the casing 12, and projects partially past the flange 12b of the casing. The tip may be made of any suitable material such as felt or nylon, for example. Felt tips are used conveniently to leave wider or broader lines whereas nylon tips may be used to accomplish fine lines. The fibers 10 may be compressed so that they lie parallel to each other within a casing which may resemble a cigarette-sized or pencil-sized member. The fibers may also be held together through adhesives or a thin paper tube. The tip 16 contacts intimately the fibers which are pressed together within the casing 12. The fibers holding the tip or nip made of felt, nylon or other fibrous material, serve as an ink reservoir in which the fibers, oriented parallel to each other, are saturated or nearly saturated with the colorant. The ink with which the line is drawn on the eyelid, is held and transported by the capillary action of the parallel fibers.

The casing 12 may be shaped in the form of a pen barrel, and in the use of such cartridges, it is necessary that the ink be of very low viscosity. It is furthermore essential that the ink does not contain any solid particles, since such solid particles would serve to clog the capillaries as a result of the filtering action of the fibers. The tip or nip 16 may have one of several convenient possible crosssections shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the tip 16 may have a fine point extending from a triangular cross-section as shown in FIG. 2a, or a semi-circular cross-section as shown in FIG. 2b. When having a rectangular cross-section as shown in FIG. 20, the tip 16 may terminate in a sharplydefined line rather than a point.

In the successful use of an eyeliner which may be designed as a marking type of pen, as shown in FIG. 1, it is essential to fill the eyeliner with a low viscosity liquid which has quick-drying properties, for the purpose of drawing thin lines on the eyelid. It is essential, furthermore, that this liquid be applicable to the skin and particularly the eyelid without leaving any irritation. The liquid must dry quickly on the skin without running, and the color must not come off or be removable easily with water. The colored line or substance, after having dried, must, however, be readily removable through the use of a cleaner or removing agent which does not contain any volatile solvents or irritants. At the same time, the color ing ink must not contain any volatile solvents which may find their way into the eye or release irritating vapors. For the purpose of meeting the condition that the eyeliner not spread and thereby prevent the formation of a thin or sharply-defined line, the conventional type of eyeliners contain colored pigments instead of soluble dye substances.

The coloring liquid used, in accordance with the present invention, is of low viscosity in order to be easily transported through the fibers by capillary action and is free of solvents and oils, quick-drying, non-toxic and nonirritant to the skin. The coloring liquid may be applied in very fine lines through a marker type of pen shown in FIG. 1. The liquid of the present invention consists of a concentrated solution of urea in water, with the addition of a water-soluble dyestuff, the use of whch is permitted by the Food and Drug Administration in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The composition of an example for such an eyeliner is as follows:

47 parts by Weight of urea 52 parts by weight of distilled water 1 part by weight of GC Black Shade GC Black Shade is a commercially available mixture of:

Col. index No. FD & C Red No. 2 16185 FD & C Yellow No. 5 19140 FD & C Yellow No. 6 15985 FD & C Blue No. 1 42090 Urea has the property of crystallizing readily in long needles from a concentrated water solution when the solution is left in an open container or when it is spread onto an impervious surface. When applied to the skin, on the other hand, urea does not crystallize, but, instead, mollifies the skin similar in effect to that realized from glycerine or oil. At the same time, the solution when applied to the skin, dries within seconds, and the dry dye stuff when combined with urea cannot be removed from the skin with water. The dried combined substance can, however, be removed with soap and water or with detergent and water, but not without effort. The dried substance may be easily removed, however, through the use of a clear urea solution preferably substantially 47% in water. Thus, a solution containing substantially 47% urea and 53% water will remove the dried substance easily, quickly and with substantially little effort, and slightly slower with a less concentrated solution. By using this solution, considerable rubbing is avoided which is necessary when relymgupon soap or detergent and water. Such rubbing action 13 required even though the dyestuffs in the eyelid liner ink are water-soluble and even though urea is easily soluble in water. The use of removing solution containing substantially 47% urea and 53% water is very close to a saturated solution, since one gram of urea is consldered to be generally dissolvable in one ml. of water. Whereas a more diluted solution for the removal agent may be used, such dilution makes it more difiicult to remove the colorant from the skin.

Instead of using a black colorant, other colorants may be applied to yield different shades. Examples of such additional colorants are:

Col. index No.

FD & C Yellow No. 5 19140 FD & C Red No. 2 16185 FD & C Blue No. l 42090 The preceding colorants may be used alone or in blends to provide different shades. Thus, green may be realized by mixing yellow and blue, brown may be obtained by mixing all three colors, and orange will result by mixing yellow and red, for example. At the same time, the intensity of the shades may be varied by dissolving more or less than one percent of dyestuff or dye substance. A gray shade may be obtained, for example, through the use of half percent black, whereas 3% of a blend will give a light brown shade, and 5% of the same blend results in a dark brown shade. The preceding ink may also be applied to the eyebrows and used for eye shadows through a tip which is larger than the fine point type of tip used to line the eyelid.

The drawing of fine lines with a pen type of instrument, in accordance with the present invention, is easier than with a brush. The resulting lines are sharp, and the ink dries within seconds after application, without running or smearing. The presence of the ink on the eyelid, furthermore, is not noticeable by the user so that it does not produce disturbing effects, such as, a coherent film which might pull the skin or cause caked up particles. The ink does not come 03 or remove with water, perspiration or tears, etc. but, instead, may be readily removed With a concentrated urea solution which leaves a pleasant feeling on the skin after application. All materials and substances used in the composition of the ink are non-toxic, nonirritant and non-sensitizing to the skin.

A similar effect can be obtained by the use of acetamid in the place of urea. However, since the safety of acetamid when in prolonged contact with the skin has not as yet been proven, the use of urea in the described manner is preferred.

Although the eye cosmetics described herein are particularly designed for eyelid lining, they can also be used for eyebrow and eyeshadow make-up; and it is understood that the term eyeliner used in the specification and claims shall be construed to embrace such terms and the like.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to certain preferred examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An eyeliner comprising, in combination, a casing; absorbent fibrous members within said casing; coloring liquid of substantially low viscosity absorbed by said fibrous members by capillary action, and being a concentrated solution of urea and dyestuff in water; an applicator member with applicating tip protruding from said casing and pressed between fibrous members substantially surrounding the portion of said tip within said casing, said casing being sealed for retaining said liquid therein, whereby a fine line may be drawn so close to eyelid leaving the eye free from irritation and sensitive areas; and cap means attachable to said casing for covering said applicating tip protruding from said casing when not in use.

2. The eyeliner as defined in claim 1, wherein said fibrous members are parallelly oriented.

3. The eyeliner as defined in claim 1 wherein said fibrous members are cellulose acetate.

all)

4. The eyeliner as defined in claim 1 wherein said fibrous members are acrylic fibers.

5. The eyeliner as defined in claim 1 wherein said coloring liquid is composed of a concentrated solution of urea containing Water soluble dye.

6. The eyeliner as defined in claim 1 wherein said coloring liquid is composed of substantially 47 parts by weight of urea; substantially 52 parts by weight of distilled water; and substantially 1 part dye matter.

7v The eyeliner as defined in claim 4 wherein said coloring liquid is free of solid particles.

8. The eyeliner as defined in claim 1 including a separate colorless solution of urea in water for removal of said coloring after being applied and dried on a skin area.

9. The eyeliner as defined in claim 8 wherein said solution for removal of said coloring comprises substantially 47% urea and 53% water by weight.

10. A writing marker eyeliner comprising, in combination, a plurality of parallelly oriented fibers forming a cylindrical absorptive body; a shell surrounding said absorptive body and forming a housing therefor; a Writing nib protruding from said shell and partially within said absorptive body for conducting liquids from said cylindrical absorptive body; and a liquid filling said absorptive body of fibers and being a concentrated solution of urea in water with a non-toxic dyestutf soluble in said urea solution, said eyeliner being for making substantially fine, sharp, non-spreading and immediately drying marks on human skin, said marks being removable from the skin through a concentrated urea solution.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES E. A. Apps, Inks For Minor Printing Processes and Specialized Applications, 1963, pp. 214-215, Leonard Hill, London.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner J. N. ESKOVITZ, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 10622 

